Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will lead the Commonwealth of Nations observer team to The Gambia’s presidential election scheduled for December 4.

The nine-member team was deployed by Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth after an invitation from The Gambia’s electoral commission. 

Ms Scotland thanked Mr Obasanjo for accepting the invitation to lead the team and expressed gratitude to other members for agreeing to participate. 

“The deployment of this observer group is a demonstration of the Commonwealth’s commitments to supporting electoral democracy in member countries and a recognition of the right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, through credible, inclusive and transparent elections in shaping their societies,” Ms Scotland explained. 

According to her, “the Commonwealth continues to promote the values of democracy despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The group is expected to consider all aspects of the election process and determine whether the elections are conducted in line with democratic standards, and will submit its final report for consideration by the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s office.

The group will be supported by Commonwealth Secretariat staff led by Linford Andrews, Head of the Electoral Support Section of the Governance and Peace Directorate.